Sewing machine



A. E. LINDNER SEWING MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON FILED APR.3. 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

. INVENTOH A TTORNE) A. E. LINDNER.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1917.

R Q. 2 Hm A m 6 Ex t x MW W Q I u .l l u i. m n e N g P k a 6% s? \N V A TTORNE Y wires STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. LINDNER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE L. AND H. SPECIAL MAOI-IINE CO. INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEWING MACHINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. LINDNER, a subjectof the German Empire, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Tm provements in Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in sewing machines, and has for its principal object to provide a sewing machine by means of which basting stitches may be sewed. This form of stitch, as is wellknown, is used prior to the permanent sewing of the material, for the purpose of bold ing the parts togeth nand is afterwards removed, the stitches for this purpose being of relatively great length so as to permit of the removal, and so as to leave very few puncture holes in the material. Such basting stitches by the usual method are produced entirely by hand, which is laborious, time consuming, and because of the speed with which this procedure in the making of a garment is usually carried out, the stitches are neither uniform nor exact. For this reason the garment must in some cases be reconstructed during the final sewing, and the basting stitches because of their unevenness cannot act as a guide for the permanent stitches. Also the hand sewed basting stitches are quite difiicult to remove because of the single thread employed which must be carried above and below the cloth, and which during removal would tend to enlarge the needle holes and very often tear the cloth if the same was of a delicate texture.

The machine according to the present invention, will produce stitches which will be uniform, exact, and may be sewed in a strai ht line so that the same may be followec during the permanent sewing of the material. The basting maybe carried out with great speed, and the removal of the thread, by reason of the machine stitch employed is greatly facilitated, it being only necessary to pull the under thread, thereby releasing the loops of the upper thread, and obviating any danger of tearing the material.

A further object of my invention is to provide auxiliary means by which the material may be fed in addition to the ordinary feed by the dogs, so that the bast ng of the material may be carried out in a reliable and posi- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented F b. 14 1922 Application filed April 3, 1917.

Serial No. 159,414.

tive manner. It is also an object of the in vention to combine the means for sewing basting stitches with means for sewing the ordinary stitches, so that the same may be interchangeably used when desired. A still further object is to construct the present embodiment of my invention so that the same may be used as an attachment to a sewing machine of the ordinary type.

lVith these and other objects in view, an embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and finally pointed out in the claims. I

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a sewing machine, showing an embodiment of my invention; v

Figure 2 is a front view thereof;

Figure 3 is a rear View of the same;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear view, showing another position than that illustrated in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the head, showing the samein another position of movement than that illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an example of two. forms of stitches which may be carried out by the present invention, one being the ordinary stitch, and the other being a basting stitch; and

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view the line of basting stitches.

imilar reference characters indicate corresponding parts througl'iout the several fig ures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof, a sewing machine of the usual type is illustrated, in which the head 10 is mounted upon the usual base plate 11, being provided at the rear portion thereof with a fly-wheel 12, and at the front portion with a presser foot 13, a lever 1a for lifting the presser foot, and an eccentric drive mechanism 15, for driving the needle bar. Below the base plate there is provided the feeding dog 16 and shuttle 17 which are driven in the usual manner from the main drive shaft.

along The needle bar, according to the embodi ment of my invention disclosed herein, comusual manner.

prises two parts, namely, a sleeve 18 which is engaged by the link 19 of the eccentric drive mechanism in the usual manner, and a needle shaft 20 slidably mounted within the said sleeve and extending exterior of the same at its ends, being provided at the lower end thereof with needle 21, and at the upper end with a head piece comprising a collar 22 secured to the upper extremlty of the said shaft by means of a screw 28, and collar 2% supported in spaced relation to the said collar 22 by means of two extending arms 25 and 2-6, and which collar 2% slidably engages the sleeve 18. i shoulder .27 is provided on the sleeve 1 below the collar 2i, and at each side thereof there are provided screws 28 and it which are connected by means of springs 30 and -51 to screws 32 and provided at each side of the collar 22, and serving to yieldingly hold the sleeve 18 in cooperative relation with the needle shaft 90 so that the needle shaft and sleeve will move together during the ordinary operation of the machine.

The basting stitch, as is well known, is of relatively great length, and according to the present improvements, I propose to produce a basting stitch which will be equal to substantiall y sixteen ordinary stitches, and between each basting stitch of this length I propose to provide two ordinary stitches for securing the same. It will be understood that this may be varied as desired, but by way of example I have shown the present machine constructed to produce such a relationship between the stitches. Figure 7 illustrates at 3% the ordinary stitch produced, and 35 illustrates the basting stitch.

A supporting platform 36 is secured by means of bolts 37 to the rear of the base plate, and extends outwardly therefrom, and in bearing brackets 2-37 and 38 there is supported a transverse rock shaft 39 upon which is non-rotatably mounted a crank 40, having secured thereto by means of bolts 41 an upright lever arm pivotally secured at its upper end to the rear end of a sliding stop bar e3 which extends above the head of the machine, and is provided at its forward end with a slotted member 44, the slot 45 of which embraces the sleeve 18 of the needle bar as is clearly shown in Figure 6. The stop bar a3 is prevented from moving upwardly with the movement of the needle bar by means of a guide piece 43. At each side of the said member er there are provided upwardly extending stops t6 and 4LT, which upon swinging of the lever arm may be brought beneath the collar 24 as shown in Figure 1. In this position it will be seen, the needle shaft 20 is prevented from moving downwardly while the springs 30 and 31 permit the sleeve 18 to reciprocate in the These stops are of such height as to stop the needle just above the cloth so that there can be no puncturing of the same. It will thus be seen that while the needle bar is held in this position the cloth and thread feed means will continue to operate in the usual manner, but there will be no actual sewing of the cloth. Upon moving the stop bar forwardly and disengaging the stops a6 and i? from beneath the collar 24, the needle bar will be permitted to operate in the usual manner, forming stitches.

The mechanism I propose in the present embodiment is so designed that the machine may operate withoutthe needle shaft moving for sixteen stitches, whereupon the needle shaft will operate to sew two stitches. In addition to this mechanism I propose to provide auxiliary feeding means hereinafter more fully described, which will positively feed the cloth forwardly and prevent any backward pulling thereof, which would take place after the long basting stitch and upon the downward movement of the needle shaft and the engagement of the shuttle hook therewith.

Upon the rock shaft 39 there is secured by means of a bearing e8 a shelf 49 which yieldingly holds the stop bar 43 in its rear position through the lever arm 4:2, by means of aspring 50 mounted between a screw 51 on said shelf, and a screw 52 on the sup porting platform 36. When it is desired to operate the machine in the ordinary way, that is with continuous stitches, the shelf e9 may be propped up in any suitable way, as by means of a block so as to hold the stops 4:6 and d7 out of engagement with the head of the needle bar. Beneath the supporting platform there are provided downwardly extending bearing supports 53 and 54, in which is journaled a longitudinally disposed shaft 55, upon which there is mounted a cam member 70, a ratchet 57, a sprocket gear 58, and slotted lever arm 59, the parts 70, 57, 5Sbeing rotatable with the shaft 55, while the lever arm 59 is rotatable upon the said shaft. Suitable washers are provided between the various parts to permit of their proper working, and a spring 60 held upon the shaft by means of a collar 61, holds the said parts in proper relation upon the shaft.

A pitman 62 is slidably connected at its lower end 68 to the head of the lever arm 59 and at its upper end is provided with a circular bearing ring Gil which engages an eccentric I 65 provided upon an extension shaft 66 secured to the main drive shaft, rotation of the said shaft swinging the lever arm through the said pitman. Upon the end of the lever arm 59 there is provideda short stud shaft, upon which is pivotally mounted a pawl 67 which is yieldabl'y held in engagement with the ratchet 57 by means of a spring 68. A stop spring (39 also ongages the said ratchet, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4, and prevents any back movement thereof. Thus the ratchet 57 is intermittently rotated through the pitman 62 and the pawl 67. The ratchet is provided with teeth corresponding in number to the length of the basting stitch, and the securing stitches, that is sixteen basting and two securing stitches. When there are sixteen basting stitches and two securing stitches, the ratchet will be provided with eighteen teeth. The cam which is movable with the said ratchet is provided with a circumferential surface 71, the extremities of which are in radial alignment with two of the ratchet teeth of the said ratchet wheel 57, being provided at each side of the said circumferential portion with downwardly sloping guide surfaces 72 and 73. The cam 70 it will be noted is disposed beneath the shelf 49, and a V-shaped tappet 74 upon the under side of the said shelf is adapted to be engaged during the rotation of the said cam by the circumferential portion 71, and lifted during this engagement. A set screw 75 of the said shelf limits the downward movement when the same is lowered upon disengagement therewith of the said circumferential portion of the cam.

Thus it will be seen that for every revolution of the drive shaft the ratchet 57 is moved by means of the pawl 67, and during sixteen of these movements the shelf 49 will be in its lowered position, and the stop bar 43 will be drawn rearwardly holding the stops 4:6 and 47 beneath the head of the needle bar, thus producing the basting stitch during this interval. During two of the movements, however, the cam 70 comes into engagement with the tappet 7d of the shelf and lifts the same, swinging the lever arm l2, moving the said bar 43 forwardly, and disengaging the stops -16 and 4:7, to permit the same when reciprocating in the usual. manner to produce two stitches. At the rear of the base plate 11 there is rotatably mounted upon bearings 76 and 77 a longitudinally disposed feed shaft 7 8 provided at its rear end with a sprocket pinion 79 which is intermittently driven by means of a sprocket chain 80 engaging the sprocket gear 58. Upon the forward end of the said shaft, and also intermediate its ends there are provided respectively feed wheels 81 and 82, which mesh with feed wheels 83 and at extending through openings in the base plate, and mounted upon a shaft 85, disposed beneath the base plate. The forward portion of the shaft 78 in front of the bearing 76 is slightly flexible, being supported at its forward extremity in a bracket 86, having an inclined slot 87 therein, which embraces the shaft, springs 88 and 89 yieldably retaining the shaft in the said slot. This flexibility of the shaft permits of yielding, and at the same time positive engagement of the feed wheels with the cloth, so that cloths of different thicknesses may be fed without adjusting the machine, this adjustment taking place automatically through the flexibility of this shaft and the movement thereof permitted by the inclined slot. 87.

\Vith my improvements, it will be seen a basting stitch may be produced which will be uniform, and may be sewn in a straight line so that the same may be employed as a guide for the permanent stitching if desired. It will be clear that the basting may be carried out with a great speed as com.- pared to the usual method of basting by hand, and the work may be handled with greater facility upon the base plate of the machine than is possible by the old method.

As is clear from Figure 8, the removal of the stitches is greatly facilitated, it being only necessary to snip the under thread at suitable intervals and pull the same, thereby releasing the loops of the upper thread.

I have illustrated apreferred and satisfactory embodiment of my invention, but it is obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the claims, and that the same may be furnished either as an attachment, or may be embodied as a permanent structure in the ordinary manufacture of the machine.

I claim:

1. In a basting sewing machine adapted to apply a stitching thread above the material and a holding thread below the material, said stitching thread being looped through the material about said holding thread; means for intermittently feeding the material, and automatic means for carrying the stitching-thread through the material at intervals in the feeding of the material to 100p the stitching thread about the holding thread and for positioning the stitching thread wholly above the material during a predetermined number of successive operations of said feeding means.

2. In a sewing machine,aneedle bar comprising a reciprocating shaft, a needle carryingshaft connected to said reciprocating shaft and adapted to normally move therewith, a needle carried thereby, means for continuously reciprocating said reciprocating shaft, and means adapted to intermittently control said needle carrying shaft to prevent said needle from descending through the material being sewn.

3. In a sewing machine, a needle bar comprising a. reciprocating sleeve, a needle carrying shaft slidable in said sleeve, a needle carried by said shaft, means yieldably connecting said sleeve to said needle carrying shaft, said sleeve and needle carrying shaft adapted to normally move together, means for continuously reciprocatingsaid supporting sleeve, and stop means adapted to cooperate with said needle carrying shaft to intermittently prevent said needle from descending through the ma terial being sewn during the normal rnnning of said reciprocating sleeve.

4. In a sewing machine, ag needle carrying bar, means adapted to make said needle bar inoperative to form a normal stitch and to be moved to permit normal operation of said needle carrying bar, and means for intermittently moving said last mentioned means, comprising a lever connected to said means, a ratchet, a pawl adapted to int-en mittently rotate said ratchet, and means movable with said ratchet adapted to move said lever once during each revolution of said ratchet to move said means to permit normal movement of said needle carrying bar.

5. In a sewing machine, a needle carrying bar, a stop bar adapted to make said needle-bar inoperative to form a normal stitch and to be moved to permit normal operation of said needle carrying bar, and means for intermittently moving said stop bar, comprising a lever connected to said stop bar, a ratchet provided with a-relatively large number of teeth, a pawl adapted to intermittently rotate said ratchet by successive engagement with said teeth, and a cam movable with said ratchet and having its operative surface extending over a relatively small number of said teeth of said ratchet, said cam adapted to move said lever once during each revolution of said ratchet to move said stop bar to permit normal movement of said needle carrying bar.

6. In a sewing machine, a needle carrying bar, a stop bar adapted to make said needle carrying bar inoperative to form a normal stitch and to be moved to, permit normal operation of said needle carrying bar, and means for intermittently moving said stop bar, comprising a lever connected to said stopbar, a ratchet, a pawl adapted to intermittently rotate said ratchet, and means movable with said ratchet aclaptedlto move said lever once during each revolution of said ratchet to move said stop bar to permit normal movement of said needle carrying bar, and feeding means comprising rollers adapted to continuously grip the material, and a gear movable with said ratchet adapted to impart intermittent feeding move ment to said rollers;

7. The combination with a sewing machine provided with a main drive shaft, of a needle carrying bar, a stop bar adapted to make said needle carrying bar inoperative to form a normal stitch, and to be moved to permit normaloperation of said needle carrying bar, and means for intermittently moving said stop bar, comprising a lever connected to said stop bar, a ratchet, a pawl adapted to be moved once by each revolution of said drive shaft and adapted to intermittently rotate said ratchet, and means movable with said ratchet adapted to move said lever once during each rerolution of said ratchet to move said stop bar to permit normal movement of said needle bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

ARTHUR E. LINDNER.

Witnesses SHERWIN Mo'rrE MAE M. WEINBERG. 

